Prince George has been photographed a lot in recent weeks, ahead of his tenth birthday on July 22. He seems, to me, like a cautious kid who does not appreciate being photographed constantly. There’s a world-weariness to him already, which I think is the result of his parents using George and his siblings as little buffers from each other and buffers from the media. Reportedly – and it seems like this is coming straight from Kensington Palace briefings – George is a quiet, sensitive kid, and there’s a sense that maybe when he goes to Eton, the boarding school experience will “toughen him up.” Again, I’m not saying I agree with any of that, I’m just repeating the reporting, all of which seems to be coming from KP’s briefs. Now it looks like the Windsors won’t “expect” George to join the military when he gets older. This too is coming straight from KP – they want credit for allowing George to find his own way, but the reality is, they’re creating a narrative where British military officials are “disappointed” in George already… and he’s not even ten years old yet.

Prince George will not be expected to serve in the military before becoming King, breaking centuries of tradition. The second in line to the throne will be allowed to sidestep the usual stint with the Armed Forces if he wishes, The Mail on Sunday understands, leaving him free to shape his own destiny. It would be a significant departure for the Royal Family as the monarch is Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s forces. George’s father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandmother and great-grandfather all served with the military, sticking to a centuries-old precedent.

Writing in this newspaper today, historian Dominic Sandbrook said: ‘The tradition of royals joining the Armed Forces, even for brief periods, lends crucial legitimacy to the monarchy.’ But speaking ahead of Prince George’s tenth birthday on Saturday, a long-time friend of George’s father, Prince William, said: ‘In theory, there is nothing to stop George from pursuing a career as an astronaut, for example, if that’s what he wants, and then becoming King later. The rules are different now, he wouldn’t necessarily have to follow the old formula of going into the military and then Royal life. So, could Charlotte qualify as a doctor, for example? I don’t see why not. It’s less of a fishbowl now than when William and Harry were growing up.’

Historian Hugo Vickers said: ‘This is significant because it shows that times are moving on. I’m all for people keeping up with the times providing they don’t throw tradition out of the window. Maybe the military won’t prove to be the best course for Prince George, although I would hope that he might do something like the Duke of Edinburgh gold award instead, which is non-competitive. For King Charles, his naval service in the 1970s was very helpful. It showed the country that he was gainfully employed and it was a role where he would not be using his title for commercial gain.’

‘Military service allows members of the Royal Family to have a sense of normal life, grants them a certain amount of freedom and teaches them all sorts of timekeeping and presentation skills which prove to be important for Royal duties. What clearly doesn’t work are those cases where members of the Royal Family go into commercial ventures. That always goes wrong.’

Mr Sandbrook added: ‘Military service is the last tradition that takes Royal youngsters outside their sheltered lives of impossible privilege.’ But he acknowledged: ‘Times change, and institutions change with them… who can blame him if he would rather pursue a different vocation?’

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command, said: ‘I think the Armed Forces will think that’s a bit of a shame but that’s all they are going to think.’ But he added that a military stint was a useful way for a young Royal to serve in ‘the years between you becoming an adult and when you take on the mantle of King’.

And Royal biographer A. N. Wilson came out against the idea, saying: ‘This is a very great change to the way it has always been done and I think he should be told, “Sorry, you can’t choose.” It does feel like a bit of a snub to the Armed Forces. There could be another way in which Prince George does a stint in the Army and then goes on to be an artist or a pastry chef or whatever interests him. On a point which may seem trivial, it is also helpful to have a uniform, otherwise we may as well have a President in a suit as our head of state.’

[From The Mail on Sunday]

Sigh… my guess is that William and Kate thought this piece of news would make them sound like perfect modern parents, but the thing is… if you take away the Windsors’ connection to the military, they really don’t have anything else going on. Like, that’s one of their biggest “things.” The monarch is head of state, but also the head of the British Armed Forces. It IS insulting, even if I agree that royal kids’ whole futures shouldn’t be set in stone. Instead of saying “wait, the whole system is kind of broken and we’re being really unfair to all of the royal kids,” Will and Kate are like “George can become a mime instead of going to Sandhurst, look at us, we’re modern parents!”

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.